lotrfandomcom-20200223-history
Glorfindel
'''Glorfindel' was one of the mighty of the Firstborn, and the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower in Gondolin. After his death, he was re-embodied by the Valar to act as an emissary. Biography Years of the Trees Glorfindel was born in Tirion sometime during the Noontide of Valinor, and was descended from a house of princes''The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter I: "Many Meetings" He followed the House of Fingolfin during the Flight of the Ñoldor, but he took no part during the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. First Age After the exile, Glorfindel followed Turgon to Gondolin. He was appointed as the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower and one of the captains of the King. He was popular and well-loved by the Gondolindrim. When Aredhel wished to depart Gondolin in search for the Sons of Fëanor, Turgon appointed Glorfindel, Ecthelion, and Egalmoth to be her escorts. They were denied entrance to Doriath, and instead turned north where the escort lost Aredhel near Nan Dungortheb. They later returned to Gondolin without her.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 11: ''The War of the Jewels, Part Three: The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings..., III. Maeglin Along with King Turgon, Glorfindel fought in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, holding the King's flanks as they retreated towards the Pass of Sirion.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XX: "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"The Children of Húrin, Narn i Chîn Húrin, The Tale of the Children of Húrin, II: "The Battle of Unnumbered Tears" Fall of Gondolin In FA 510, the forces of Melkor attacked Gondolin, with the help of Maeglin's treachery. Glorfindel and the last of his followers held the Great Market from the Orcs, in pursuance of ambushing the enemies. However, they themselves were ambushed and fought until a fire-drake arrived. Glorfindel and his people cut their way out, but were pursed by the orcs. The House of the Harp arrived to help them, after disobeying their deceitful lord, Salgant. The House of the Golden Flower regrouped at the Square of the King and was one of the last Houses to fight.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 2: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin" Glorfindel joined Tuor in defending the Square, until Egalmoth arrived and Ecthelion was slain during his fight with Gothmog. When King Turgon was also slain, the Gondolindrim escaped through Idril's Secret Way, with Glorfindel holding the rear manfully and lost more of his followers there. As they made their escape through Cirith Thoronath, one of the Balrogs came upon the refugees. Glorfindel leapt forward to face the Balrog, while his followers watched from afar. He fended himself from the Balrog's whip and claws, and successfully hewn its iron helm. At the last moment, he pierced the Balrog's belly and it fell backwards towards the cliff, but it grabbed Glorfindel by his hair and both of them fell into the abyss. His body was later borne by Thorondor, who buried him. It was said that yellow flowers (possibly celandine) grew on his mound, despite its rocky location. Second Age Return to Middle-earth Glorfindel's spirit departed to the Halls of Mandos, where he spent years with the spirits of the others who died. Due to his noble actions, valor and bravery that saved many Elves during the Fall of Gondolin, he was re-embodied after a short time. A thousand years later, in SA 1600, Manwë sent him back to Middle-earth as an emissary of the Valar and granted him powers as strong as that of the Maiar's.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 12: The Peoples of Middle-earth, XIII: "Last Writings" Third Age It is possible that Glorfindel remained for a time in Lindon along with the other noble Elves, such as Gil-galad, Círdan, and Elrond, a descendant of Tuor and Idril. Battle of Fornost During the Battle of Fornost, Glorfindel was the major reason the evil Witch-King of Angmar was defeated. After the battle was over, and the Witch-King had fled, it was Glorfindel who predicted that no mortal man would ever destroy the Witch-King. This prediction would come true a thousand years later at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, when Éowyn of Rohan (a woman) and Meriadoc Brandybuck (a Hobbit) destroyed the Witch-King.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter VI: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields" War of the Ring , by Līga Kļaviņa]] A thousand years later, Glorfindel was sent by Elrond to search for Frodo and his companions. He pursued some of the Nazgûl and drew them away from the Ford. He led the company for days and stopped briefly to let the Hobbits rest. When the Riders approached closer, Glorfindel put Frodo on his white horse, Asfaloth, and bade the horse to take Frodo to safety. However, when Frodo turned back to defy the Riders, Glorfindel used his powers to smite the Riders with the waters of the river.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XII: "Flight to the Ford" He later led the injured Frodo and the rest of the company safely to Rivendell. At the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel sat in a position of honour alongside Elrond and Gandalf. He suggested that the One Ring should be either sent to Tom Bombadil and cast into the depths of the Sea, but Gandalf believed that the One may resurface on land after a hundred or thousand years. He was briefly considered to be a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, but was later ruled out: his power would be of no use in a mission of secrecy to Mordor.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter II: "The Council of Elrond" After the War After the Ring's destruction, Glorfindel, along with Erestor and the sons of Elrond, witnessed the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter V: "The Steward and the King" His ultimate fate is not known, but it is reasonable to assume that he eventually sailed to Valinor with the rest of his kin. Etymology His original name is '''Laurefindil', which is the Quenya for "Golden-haired", from laurë ("golden") and findilë ("head of hair").The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 5: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies" Glorfindel is the Sindarin translation of Laurefindil, from glaur ("golden") and fîn or find ("lock of hair").The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names''Parma Eldalamberon, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in ''The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Appearances in the Books and Films In the books *''The History of Middle-earth *''The Silmarillion'' *''The Children of Hurin'' *''The Fellowship of the Ring'' *''The Return of the King'' In the films *''The Fellowship of the Ring'' *''The Return of the King'' Portrayal in adaptations Glorfindel was left out of Ralph Bakshi's version of the Lord of the Rings, with Legolas in place of him when Aragorn was supposed to meet him before the attack at the Ford of Bruinen. Lord of the Rings film trilogy In The Fellowship of the Ring, Glorfindel's role in guiding Frodo Baggins to Rivendell is filled by Arwen, though he does appear during the prologue when Sauron is defeated. In The Return of the King, Glorfindel is seen walking next to Arwen as she is having her vision of her son Eldarion during the journey to The Grey Havens. In his last appearance, he is seen at the crowning of King Elessar, behind Legolas and in front of Arwen. Radio versions He was included in the BBC's Lord of the Rings radio serial in 1981 and was voiced by John Webb. Video games Trivia *In the 1978 film of The Lord of the Rings, Glorfindel's part was taken by Legolas when leading the Hobbits and Strider to Rivendell. *At one stage Tolkien considered whether Glorfindel was one of the Blue Wizards, but he later decided against this. *In July 2007, 3-D entertainment model producer Gentle Giant Studios, Inc., headquartered in Burbank, California, released an exclusive sculpted Glorfindel bust, limited to 500 pieces, for the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con. Licensed under New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings franchise. GLORFINDEL BUST - Gentle Giant Studios *During the first draft of The Council of Elrond, Glorfindel was among of what was to become the Fellowship of the Ring, along with Durin son of Balin (who later became Gimli son of Gloin) and Trotter (later named Strider or Aragorn).Tolkien, J. R. R. (1988), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Return of the Shadow, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-49863-5 Rumors *There is some controversy about the relationship of Glorfindel of Rivendell to Glorfindel of Gondolin. They were not originally meant to be the same person (an early draft of The Fellowship of the Ring contained a note that "Glorfindel tells of his ancestry in Gondolin"). However, as Tolkien felt that elf names, unlike those of the mortal races, were unique, he decided to find a way to correct his perceived mistake. In his notes, Tolkien indicated his intention to do this by making them the same person, with Glorfindel's spirit having been returned from the Halls of Awaiting by the Valar and re-embodied to be sent to Middle-earth, either in the mid-Second Age or as a companion of the Wizards in the Third). *The fact that he was "of a house of princes" has led to speculation that Glorfindel is the son of Finarfin or one of his descendants (membership in the House of Finarfin would also explain his hair). Translations around the World Gallery References External link * de:Glorfindel es:Glorfindel it:Glorfindel fr:Glorfindel pl:Glorfindel ru:Глорфиндел Category:Sindarin words Category:High Elves Category:Noldor Category:Elves of Gondolin Category:Elves of Rivendell Category:The Silmarillion Characters Category:The Lord of the Rings Characters Category:Major characters (The Lord of the Rings)